Murderdolls
Encyclopedia
Murderdolls is an American horror punk
supergroup
, founded during 2002 in Hollywood, California. The band line-up consists of core members Wednesday 13
and Joey Jordison
. Former members include Ben Graves, Acey Slade, Eric Griffin & Tripp Eisen.
To date the band has released two albums, the first in the form of Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls
which was released in 2002. The band had limited initial success in the United States, though their album and singles charted well in the United Kingdom and around the same time they picked up a strong following in Japan. Their second album, Women and Children Last, was released August 31, 2010.
and as well as from some of the 1970s hard rock
acts (such as Kiss
and Alice Cooper
). The band also share a large interest in horror movies, from which they take images and references.
Lyrically, the group most often present themselves in a "tongue-in-cheek
" manner, covering topics of necrophilia
, grave robbing, cross-dressing
, shaving their eyebrows, and wearing makeup, amongst other things.
The Murderdolls are often described as "Mötley Crüe
meets the Misfits" by critics and fans alike.
based band Joey Jordison
played in, named The Rejects, which was fronted by vocalist Dizzy Draztik. The sound of the band was somewhat comparable to what the Murderdolls would later develop, minus the horror themed lyrics.
The Rejects split up as Jordison's "other band" Slipknot
were signed to a major label. During the 1999 Ozzfest
tour, Jordison met Tripp Eisen
and asked him if he was interested in a project he had in mind; the reforming of the Rejects with Draztik. Eisen agreed to join the project and a friend of his from the band Dope
and previously the Genitorturers
, Racci Shay played drums with them. Also a bassist named Ian, who had played in New York based band the Vampire Love Dolls (fronted by Acey Slade
who was known as J at the time), played with them live.
, a horror punk
band from Charlotte, North Carolina
, fronted by vocalist Wednesday 13
. Eisen persuaded the band to invite the Drag Queens frontman to play with the Rejects. The pair had previously considered bringing Wednesday 13 into the band before Eisen joined. Wednesday joined them on November 2001, where he was brought into the Rejects as a bassist. Tripp Eisen has claimed that he suggested that his friend Acey Slade
was brought into the band around this time, but was turned down.
Soon, Wednesday 13 was moved to the frontman position and Draztik was taken out of the project. The band changed their name to the Murderdolls and would soon adopt a horror themed approach. In fact, in terms of material used Wednesday 13 became the driving force for it. Most of the tracks on the Murderdolls debut album came from his previous band Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13, which would later introduce a whole new audience to the past music of Wednesday 13.
Wednesday 13, Jordison, and Eisen went into the recording studio to record an album of material. Which because of the association of Eisen and Jordison's other bands, was to be released on Roadrunner Records
. Primarily the recording features Wednesday 13 and Joey Jordison playing all of the instruments and vocals, however Eisen recorded some of the guitar solo
s on it.
Around this time in late March 2002, Ben Graves and Eric Griffin
, two musicians native of Boston, Massachusetts but were living in Hollywood, California at the time joined the Murderdolls. They were brought in after Eisen showed Jordison a video of himself jamming with the pair, they decided the duo would be right for the band. And although they would feature on the debut album artwork, they did not actually play on the album itself. The band played their first show together as the Murderdolls on July 30, 2002 at San Diego's Epicenter club.
An EP was released in early 2002 named Right to Remain Violent
and featured some tracks from the forthcoming album. The full length album soon followed, titled Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls
. The initial release featured fifteen tracks; twelve in total had previously been recorded by Wednesday 13 with Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 and one from an earlier band Maniac Spider Trash, 13 did however write all of the aforementioned tracks himself.
The song "Welcome to the Strange" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Freddy vs. Jason
.
Upon its release the Murderdolls album was promoted to the public as the "other band" of Joey Jordison, the drummer of Slipknot, or a "collaboration" between Jordison and Tripp Eisen
. At the time Wednesday 13's importance as song writer wasn't known by the public. The lead off single from the album was titled "Dead In Hollywood", the promotional video
featured a guest appearance by Marilyn Manson
, who had previously become friends with Jordison and was returning the favour of him earlier appearing in the video for "Tainted Love".
In July 2002 Eisen announced he was leaving the band and returning to his main band Static-X
as they were due to record a new album at the time. Eisen's former Dope
bandmate Acey Slade
was brought in to replace him on guitar.
took the band through parts of the United States including; Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago and Jordison's native Iowa
. Their first major date was at the Summer Sonic Festival
in Tokyo, Japan during August 18, 2002, two days before their debut album was released. This helped them gain a fan base in Japan.
Following this they played some dates in Europe, including a tour of the United Kingdom with AntiProduct
(the lead singer of which, Alex Kane, replaced Griffin on Bass, when he had to return home during the tour) and Ireland. At the time the band also co-headlined an international tour with label mates and friends of Jordison's Papa Roach
.
Their restless touring continued throughout 2002 into 2003, where they played in several major festivals; first, they played at the Australian festival Big Day Out
, going on after Queens of the Stone Age
and Foo Fighters
headlined the event. They were received favorably and one reviewer commented on the band's performance as a "mangled, choked and psychotic version of the Sex Pistols
." The other major festival dates during this time were Download Festival
and Rock am Ring
, Iron Maiden
headlined both of the festivals.
Together, the band recorded a cover version of Billy Idol
's "White Wedding
". A promotional video was recorded for it, in which they mocked popstar singing contests such as the Idol series
. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom and they even performed it on the premier UK chart show, Top of the Pops
.
Mid 2003 The Murderdolls co-headlined a tour of England with fellow Roadrunner Records band, Stone Sour
, which contained two of Jordison's fellow members of Slipknot.
Murderdolls toured at the end of 2003 in support of the single and the re-release of their debut, which included their Billy Idol cover as well as five other bonus tracks and b-sides: "Let's Fuck'", "I Take Drugs", "Crash Crash", "Welcome to the Strange" and "I Love to Say Fuck". The latter two had previously been recorded by Wednesday 13 with the Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13. The tour went through many European countries including Spain, Italy, Croatia
, and Scandinavian countries before ending with a four date tour of the UK supported by English psychobilly
band Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster.
Murderdolls played their last show on January 17, 2004 in Corona, California
. After this they went on an indefinite hiatus with Jordison returning to Slipknot. Since the hiatus begun, both Wednesday 13 and Jordison maintained that the band had not split up for good, and that they would return to record a second album together in the future. Additionally, in a 2009 interview, Slade revealed that he would have been happy to reform the Murderdolls by now, but it always proves impossible due to other commitments of the band members.
In March 2010, Jordison officially revealed to Kerrang magazine that Murderdolls had officially reunited with him and Wednesday working with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris. Jordison said about the reunion, "It's been an ongoing conversation between Wednesday and I from 2006 until now. We were bored with everything out there, and thought we had something to piss people off and shake things up. Everything is such a product or a fucking formula these days... Fuck formula! Fuck the norm!"
It was revealed on the band's official website that the band would feature a new line-up, without Slade, Griffin or Graves. Drummer Racci Shay
joined the band alongside guitarist Roman Surman and bassist Jack Tankersley.
Mötley Crüe
guitarist Mick Mars
recorded a guest appearance on the new album, whilst he was recording material for his debut solo album in the same space. On April 15, the band confirmed that they had finished recording their upcoming album Women & Children Last
. Joey Jordison has said that he considers Women & Children Last as really the first true Murderdolls album.
The band was expected to embark on a tour of North America, but the idea was scrapped after Jordison began touring with Rob Zombie
on the Hellbilly Deluxe 2 World Tour
and after the untimely death of his Slipknot bandmate Paul Gray
. This led to the band performing only two shows in California in mid-June to promote their new album. The first show was captured on video and was released on DVD for the special edition of the album. Jordison resumed touring with Zombie in early July.
For Women & Children Last, Jordison and Wednesday 13 confessed to VerdamMnis Magazine that they consider this new release to be their very first album, as this is the first time they "sat down together to write songs and the production is a far better than from Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls. They also revealed to the magazine that the CD was recorded in a mansion upon the Hollywood Hills, which encouraged them "to create their own sound with no influence from the outside world", as they were secluded.
The album was released on August 31, 2010 through Roadrunner Records
. It has gained very positive reviews worldwide.
The band is currently promoting the album on the Women & Children Last World Tour
, in which they have supported Guns N' Roses
on a handful of European dates, performed on the main stage at the UK edition of the Ozzfest
, supported Rob Zombie
and Alice Cooper
on the Halloween Hootenanny Tour (Jordison performed double duty with Zombie and the Murderdolls), and have performed on Fuel TV
's The Daily Habit. The band are expected to embark upon a headlining tour of North America in December, followed by a tour of the United Kingdom in January, before returning to Australia for the first time in 8 years to co-headline the Soundwave Festival.
The band has recently announced that, along with their North America tour, Violent Night, Deadly Night Tour, they were releasing a music video for the song "Nowhere" from Women & Children Last on November 29, 2010.
On November 29, 2010, it was announced that the Violent Night, Deadly Night Tour was cancelled, due to family issues.
Former
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
, founded during 2002 in Hollywood, California. The band line-up consists of core members Wednesday 13
Wednesday 13
Joseph Poole, better known as Wednesday 13 , is a rock musician from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is most famous for his role as the frontman of the Murderdolls...
and Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison , is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the drummer for the nu metal band Slipknot. He grew up in Waukee, Iowa with his parents and two sisters, and was given his first drum kit at the age of 8...
. Former members include Ben Graves, Acey Slade, Eric Griffin & Tripp Eisen.
To date the band has released two albums, the first in the form of Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls
Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls
Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls is the debut album of horror punk band Murderdolls. It was released in 2002 by Roadrunner Records. The album reached #40 on the UK Albums Chart, and sold 100,000 copies in the U.S....
which was released in 2002. The band had limited initial success in the United States, though their album and singles charted well in the United Kingdom and around the same time they picked up a strong following in Japan. Their second album, Women and Children Last, was released August 31, 2010.
Characteristics
The sound of the band is made up of their shared influences, which musically are punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and as well as from some of the 1970s hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
acts (such as Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
and Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
). The band also share a large interest in horror movies, from which they take images and references.
Lyrically, the group most often present themselves in a "tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
" manner, covering topics of necrophilia
Necrophilia
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia or necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses,It is classified as a paraphilia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The word is artificially derived from the ancient Greek words: νεκρός and φιλία...
, grave robbing, cross-dressing
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
, shaving their eyebrows, and wearing makeup, amongst other things.
The Murderdolls are often described as "Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
meets the Misfits" by critics and fans alike.
Early years
Some consider the Murderdolls history to go back as far as 1994 to a Des Moines, IowaDes Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
based band Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison , is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the drummer for the nu metal band Slipknot. He grew up in Waukee, Iowa with his parents and two sisters, and was given his first drum kit at the age of 8...
played in, named The Rejects, which was fronted by vocalist Dizzy Draztik. The sound of the band was somewhat comparable to what the Murderdolls would later develop, minus the horror themed lyrics.
The Rejects split up as Jordison's "other band" Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
were signed to a major label. During the 1999 Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
tour, Jordison met Tripp Eisen
Tripp Eisen
Tripp Eisen Tripp Eisen Tripp Eisen (born Tod Rex Salvador June 29, 1965, also known "Tripp Rex Eisen" or "Rex Eisen", is an American musician, best known as the former guitarist of the industrial metal band Static-X...
and asked him if he was interested in a project he had in mind; the reforming of the Rejects with Draztik. Eisen agreed to join the project and a friend of his from the band Dope
Dope (band)
Dope is an American rock band from Villa Park, Illinois, formed in 1997 in Chicago, Illinois.To date, the band has released five full-length studio albums, their most recent being No Regrets which was released on March 10, 2009.-History:...
and previously the Genitorturers
Genitorturers
The Genitorturers are an industrial metal/industrial rock band from the United States, with influences extending into the 1990s hardcore punk and electronic music. They proclaim themselves to be "The World's Sexiest Rock Band".-History:...
, Racci Shay played drums with them. Also a bassist named Ian, who had played in New York based band the Vampire Love Dolls (fronted by Acey Slade
Acey Slade
Acey Slade, , is the lead singer and guitarist of the band Acey Slade & The Dark Party. Previous to this he was the lead vocalist and guitarist in the punk rock band Trashlight Vision, which broke up September 12, 2007...
who was known as J at the time), played with them live.
Formation, Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls (2001–2002)
Dizzy Draztik introduced Joey Jordison to the music of the Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13
Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 are a horror punk band from North Carolina. The band was formed in 1996 by Wednesday 13, who recruited friends and former Maniac Spider Trash bandmates Seaweed and Sicko Zero...
, a horror punk
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
band from Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, fronted by vocalist Wednesday 13
Wednesday 13
Joseph Poole, better known as Wednesday 13 , is a rock musician from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is most famous for his role as the frontman of the Murderdolls...
. Eisen persuaded the band to invite the Drag Queens frontman to play with the Rejects. The pair had previously considered bringing Wednesday 13 into the band before Eisen joined. Wednesday joined them on November 2001, where he was brought into the Rejects as a bassist. Tripp Eisen has claimed that he suggested that his friend Acey Slade
Acey Slade
Acey Slade, , is the lead singer and guitarist of the band Acey Slade & The Dark Party. Previous to this he was the lead vocalist and guitarist in the punk rock band Trashlight Vision, which broke up September 12, 2007...
was brought into the band around this time, but was turned down.
Soon, Wednesday 13 was moved to the frontman position and Draztik was taken out of the project. The band changed their name to the Murderdolls and would soon adopt a horror themed approach. In fact, in terms of material used Wednesday 13 became the driving force for it. Most of the tracks on the Murderdolls debut album came from his previous band Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13, which would later introduce a whole new audience to the past music of Wednesday 13.
Wednesday 13, Jordison, and Eisen went into the recording studio to record an album of material. Which because of the association of Eisen and Jordison's other bands, was to be released on Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
. Primarily the recording features Wednesday 13 and Joey Jordison playing all of the instruments and vocals, however Eisen recorded some of the guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
s on it.
Around this time in late March 2002, Ben Graves and Eric Griffin
Eric Griffin
Eric Michael Griffin is an American rock guitarist. He is most famous for playing bass in the horror punk band Murderdolls and guitar in Wednesday 13...
, two musicians native of Boston, Massachusetts but were living in Hollywood, California at the time joined the Murderdolls. They were brought in after Eisen showed Jordison a video of himself jamming with the pair, they decided the duo would be right for the band. And although they would feature on the debut album artwork, they did not actually play on the album itself. The band played their first show together as the Murderdolls on July 30, 2002 at San Diego's Epicenter club.
An EP was released in early 2002 named Right to Remain Violent
Right to Remain Violent
Right to Remain Violent is an EP by Murderdolls, released in 2002 on Roadrunner Records. It was released to promote their forthcoming album at the time; "Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls"...
and featured some tracks from the forthcoming album. The full length album soon followed, titled Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls
Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls
Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls is the debut album of horror punk band Murderdolls. It was released in 2002 by Roadrunner Records. The album reached #40 on the UK Albums Chart, and sold 100,000 copies in the U.S....
. The initial release featured fifteen tracks; twelve in total had previously been recorded by Wednesday 13 with Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 and one from an earlier band Maniac Spider Trash, 13 did however write all of the aforementioned tracks himself.
The song "Welcome to the Strange" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Freddy vs. Jason
Freddy vs. Jason
Freddy vs. Jason is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Ronny Yu. The film is a crossover between the A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises...
.
Upon its release the Murderdolls album was promoted to the public as the "other band" of Joey Jordison, the drummer of Slipknot, or a "collaboration" between Jordison and Tripp Eisen
Tripp Eisen
Tripp Eisen Tripp Eisen Tripp Eisen (born Tod Rex Salvador June 29, 1965, also known "Tripp Rex Eisen" or "Rex Eisen", is an American musician, best known as the former guitarist of the industrial metal band Static-X...
. At the time Wednesday 13's importance as song writer wasn't known by the public. The lead off single from the album was titled "Dead In Hollywood", the promotional video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
featured a guest appearance by Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, who had previously become friends with Jordison and was returning the favour of him earlier appearing in the video for "Tainted Love".
In July 2002 Eisen announced he was leaving the band and returning to his main band Static-X
Static-X
Static-X is an American industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California. They were formed in 1994. They are signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released six albums, their most recent being Cult of Static, which was released on March 17, 2009....
as they were due to record a new album at the time. Eisen's former Dope
Dope (band)
Dope is an American rock band from Villa Park, Illinois, formed in 1997 in Chicago, Illinois.To date, the band has released five full-length studio albums, their most recent being No Regrets which was released on March 10, 2009.-History:...
bandmate Acey Slade
Acey Slade
Acey Slade, , is the lead singer and guitarist of the band Acey Slade & The Dark Party. Previous to this he was the lead vocalist and guitarist in the punk rock band Trashlight Vision, which broke up September 12, 2007...
was brought in to replace him on guitar.
Touring (2002–2004)
The first tour dates of the Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls World TourBeyond the Valley of the Murderdolls World Tour
The Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls World Tour was a concert concert tour by horror punk supergroup the Murderdolls in support of their first studio album, of the same name, which was released in August 2002....
took the band through parts of the United States including; Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago and Jordison's native Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. Their first major date was at the Summer Sonic Festival
Summer Sonic Festival
The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-days rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa....
in Tokyo, Japan during August 18, 2002, two days before their debut album was released. This helped them gain a fan base in Japan.
Following this they played some dates in Europe, including a tour of the United Kingdom with AntiProduct
AntiProduct
AntiProduct are a UK-based glam punk band, fronted by Alex Kane, formerly of Clam Abuse, Enuff Z'nuff, Holland, and Life, Sex & Death.The band formed in 2000, and have played alongside acts such as Rachel Stamp, The Wildhearts, Ginger, The Quireboys, Enuff Z'Nuff, Electric Eel Shock, Tyla from...
(the lead singer of which, Alex Kane, replaced Griffin on Bass, when he had to return home during the tour) and Ireland. At the time the band also co-headlined an international tour with label mates and friends of Jordison's Papa Roach
Papa Roach
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California. Their first major-label release was the triple-platinum album Infest . The group's success continued with their gold album Lovehatetragedy , their platinum album Getting Away with Murder , The Paramour Sessions , and Metamorphosis...
.
Their restless touring continued throughout 2002 into 2003, where they played in several major festivals; first, they played at the Australian festival Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
, going on after Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
and Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
headlined the event. They were received favorably and one reviewer commented on the band's performance as a "mangled, choked and psychotic version of the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
." The other major festival dates during this time were Download Festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
and Rock am Ring
Rock am Ring
The Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually in Germany....
, Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
headlined both of the festivals.
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
's "White Wedding
White Wedding (song)
"White Wedding" is a song by Billy Idol that appeared on his album Billy Idol . Although "the Big 80's: Episode I" of VH1's Pop-up Video trivia show claims Idol wrote the song to voice his displeasure with his sister's fiance , on an episode of VH1 Storytellers, Idol claimed that there was never...
". A promotional video was recorded for it, in which they mocked popstar singing contests such as the Idol series
Idol series
The British talent search television series Pop Idol has spawned spin-offs in 42 territories, in what is now referred to as the "Idols" format, as described by FremantleMedia...
. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom and they even performed it on the premier UK chart show, Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
.
Mid 2003 The Murderdolls co-headlined a tour of England with fellow Roadrunner Records band, Stone Sour
Stone Sour
Stone Sour is an American rock band from Des Moines, Iowa. Since 2006, the group has been composed of Corey Taylor , Jim Root , Josh Rand, , Shawn Economaki and Roy Mayorga . Original drummer Joel Ekman left the group in 2006...
, which contained two of Jordison's fellow members of Slipknot.
Murderdolls toured at the end of 2003 in support of the single and the re-release of their debut, which included their Billy Idol cover as well as five other bonus tracks and b-sides: "Let's Fuck'", "I Take Drugs", "Crash Crash", "Welcome to the Strange" and "I Love to Say Fuck". The latter two had previously been recorded by Wednesday 13 with the Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13. The tour went through many European countries including Spain, Italy, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, and Scandinavian countries before ending with a four date tour of the UK supported by English psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
band Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster.
Murderdolls played their last show on January 17, 2004 in Corona, California
Corona, California
Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 152,374, up from 124,966 at the 2000 census...
. After this they went on an indefinite hiatus with Jordison returning to Slipknot. Since the hiatus begun, both Wednesday 13 and Jordison maintained that the band had not split up for good, and that they would return to record a second album together in the future. Additionally, in a 2009 interview, Slade revealed that he would have been happy to reform the Murderdolls by now, but it always proves impossible due to other commitments of the band members.
Reunion & Women & Children Last (2010–2011)
In February 2010, whilst embarking on a solo tour in Australia, Wednesday 13 spoke with Drum Media and told them he was tossing up whether to record another solo album or record another Murderdolls album. He stated that the idea was still in talks, but would be his number one priority if the opportunity arose.In March 2010, Jordison officially revealed to Kerrang magazine that Murderdolls had officially reunited with him and Wednesday working with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris. Jordison said about the reunion, "It's been an ongoing conversation between Wednesday and I from 2006 until now. We were bored with everything out there, and thought we had something to piss people off and shake things up. Everything is such a product or a fucking formula these days... Fuck formula! Fuck the norm!"
It was revealed on the band's official website that the band would feature a new line-up, without Slade, Griffin or Graves. Drummer Racci Shay
Racci Shay
Racci Shay is an American rock drummer. He is most famous for his involvement with the Genitorturers, Dope, Wednesday 13 and is currently the touring drummer for Murderdolls...
joined the band alongside guitarist Roman Surman and bassist Jack Tankersley.
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
guitarist Mick Mars
Mick Mars
Mick Mars is the lead guitarist for American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.-Career:After his family relocated from Indiana, to California, Bob Deal dropped out of high school and began playing guitar in a series of unsuccessful blues based rock bands throughout the seventies, taking on menial day...
recorded a guest appearance on the new album, whilst he was recording material for his debut solo album in the same space. On April 15, the band confirmed that they had finished recording their upcoming album Women & Children Last
Women & Children Last (Murderdolls album)
Women and Children Last is the second studio album by American Horror punk supergroup Murderdolls released through Roadrunner Records on August 31, 2010...
. Joey Jordison has said that he considers Women & Children Last as really the first true Murderdolls album.
The band was expected to embark on a tour of North America, but the idea was scrapped after Jordison began touring with Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
on the Hellbilly Deluxe 2 World Tour
Hellbilly Deluxe 2 World Tour
The Hellbilly Deluxe 2 World Tour is a current concert tour by solo artist Rob Zombie that began in October 2009 in support of his fourth studio album Hellbilly Deluxe 2. The tour currently consists of 12 legs spanning across Japan, North America, Europe and Australia...
and after the untimely death of his Slipknot bandmate Paul Gray
Paul Gray (musician)
Paul Gray was the second, most well known bassist for the Southend-on-Sea teen rockers Eddie and the Hot Rods, scoring several hit singles and albums in the late 1970s, including "Do Anything You Wanna Do". In early 1980, he was recruited to join the punk rock band The Damned to replace Algy Ward...
. This led to the band performing only two shows in California in mid-June to promote their new album. The first show was captured on video and was released on DVD for the special edition of the album. Jordison resumed touring with Zombie in early July.
For Women & Children Last, Jordison and Wednesday 13 confessed to VerdamMnis Magazine that they consider this new release to be their very first album, as this is the first time they "sat down together to write songs and the production is a far better than from Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls. They also revealed to the magazine that the CD was recorded in a mansion upon the Hollywood Hills, which encouraged them "to create their own sound with no influence from the outside world", as they were secluded.
The album was released on August 31, 2010 through Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
. It has gained very positive reviews worldwide.
The band is currently promoting the album on the Women & Children Last World Tour
Women & Children Last World Tour
The Women & Children Last World Tour was a concert tour by horror punk supergroup the Murderdolls in support of their reformation and second studio album, of the same name, which was released in August 2010.-Overview:...
, in which they have supported Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
on a handful of European dates, performed on the main stage at the UK edition of the Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
, supported Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
and Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
on the Halloween Hootenanny Tour (Jordison performed double duty with Zombie and the Murderdolls), and have performed on Fuel TV
Fuel TV
Fuel TV is a U.S. cable and satellite specialty channel that launched on July 1, 2003. It focuses on the cultures of such extreme sports as skateboarding, snowboarding, wakeboarding, motocross, surfing, BMX and FMX. It is a unit of Fox Cable Networks and is currently available to 26-million...
's The Daily Habit. The band are expected to embark upon a headlining tour of North America in December, followed by a tour of the United Kingdom in January, before returning to Australia for the first time in 8 years to co-headline the Soundwave Festival.
The band has recently announced that, along with their North America tour, Violent Night, Deadly Night Tour, they were releasing a music video for the song "Nowhere" from Women & Children Last on November 29, 2010.
On November 29, 2010, it was announced that the Violent Night, Deadly Night Tour was cancelled, due to family issues.
Other projects
- Wednesday 13Wednesday 13Joseph Poole, better known as Wednesday 13 , is a rock musician from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is most famous for his role as the frontman of the Murderdolls...
also records under the Wednesday 13 name and has released several albums and toured extensively. He also resurrected the Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 are a horror punk band from North Carolina. The band was formed in 1996 by Wednesday 13, who recruited friends and former Maniac Spider Trash bandmates Seaweed and Sicko Zero...
for a brief tour. He created and performed as part of outlaw countryOutlaw countryOutlaw country is a subgenre of country music, most popular during the late 1960s and the 1970s , sometimes referred to as the outlaw movement or simply outlaw music...
act Bourbon CrowBourbon CrowBourbon Crow is the outlaw country project formed by horror aficionado Wednesday 13 and former Wednesday 13 bass player Rayen Belchere. To date they have released two full length album Highway to Hangovers and Long Way to the Bottom...
as well as the glam rock outfit Gunfire 76Gunfire 76-General information:Gunfire 76 is a side-project of Joseph Poole, better known as Wednesday 13. It is a glam rock - glam metalband formed in North Carolina, USA in 2009....
. - Joey JordisonJoey JordisonJoey Jordison , is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the drummer for the nu metal band Slipknot. He grew up in Waukee, Iowa with his parents and two sisters, and was given his first drum kit at the age of 8...
continues to drum for SlipknotSlipknot (band)Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
and has also played live with various other band such as MinistryMinistry (band)Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
, SatyriconSatyricon (band)Satyricon is a Norwegian black metal band, and the first one in the genre to join a multi-national record label .-Biography:Satyricon was formed in 1990 by Czral and Wargod. Ulver and Satyr soon joined them...
, MetallicaMetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, KornKornKorn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
and Rob ZombieRob ZombieRob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
.
Band members
Current- Wednesday 13Wednesday 13Joseph Poole, better known as Wednesday 13 , is a rock musician from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is most famous for his role as the frontman of the Murderdolls...
– lead vocals, keyboards, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(2002–present) - Joey JordisonJoey JordisonJoey Jordison , is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the drummer for the nu metal band Slipknot. He grew up in Waukee, Iowa with his parents and two sisters, and was given his first drum kit at the age of 8...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals (2002–present) - Roman Surman – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, vocals (2010–present) - Jack Tankersley – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2010–present) - Racci ShayRacci ShayRacci Shay is an American rock drummer. He is most famous for his involvement with the Genitorturers, Dope, Wednesday 13 and is currently the touring drummer for Murderdolls...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, (2010–present)
Former
- Tripp EisenTripp EisenTripp Eisen Tripp Eisen Tripp Eisen (born Tod Rex Salvador June 29, 1965, also known "Tripp Rex Eisen" or "Rex Eisen", is an American musician, best known as the former guitarist of the industrial metal band Static-X...
– guitar, vocals (2002) - Acey SladeAcey SladeAcey Slade, , is the lead singer and guitarist of the band Acey Slade & The Dark Party. Previous to this he was the lead vocalist and guitarist in the punk rock band Trashlight Vision, which broke up September 12, 2007...
– guitar, vocals (2002–2004) - Eric GriffinEric GriffinEric Michael Griffin is an American rock guitarist. He is most famous for playing bass in the horror punk band Murderdolls and guitar in Wednesday 13...
– bass guitar, vocals (2002–2004) - Ben Graves – drums (2002–2004)
Discography
Studio albums- Beyond the Valley of the MurderdollsBeyond the Valley of the MurderdollsBeyond the Valley of the Murderdolls is the debut album of horror punk band Murderdolls. It was released in 2002 by Roadrunner Records. The album reached #40 on the UK Albums Chart, and sold 100,000 copies in the U.S....
(2002) - Women and Children Last (2010)